Ten years ago, I was working in a private law firm, blissfully unaware that the tanking economy meant I would soon be out of a job. I was laid off a week shy of my first year anniversary, and it was so much worse than being fired or quitting, because nobody wanted it to happen. The firm simply couldn’t afford to pay me with no real work to do, and I was one of the newest employees, so naturally, it was only “fair” to let me go first. Bill and I were also facing the unknown as we embarked on our infertility journey, which turned out far differently than we expected it would. It went from “this will get you pregnant” to “we have no idea why it didn’t work” in the span of eight treatments. Thankfully, in Massachusetts, all aspects of IVF are covered on insurance and we didn’t have the financial issues that most infertile couples have, but it was the biggest challenge either of us have ever faced, one that didn’t end the way we wanted it to. In October, 2009, I found a job, and for what it’s worth (and I’m not even sure how much it’s worth some days), I found a job that I have had ever since. Because I make good money and have a 401(k), I’m at least financially better off than I was back then. Despite not being able to have children, our trials brought us closer together and have made us a stronger couple, so I choose to embrace the positive and be thankful for the strength God gave us both to get through that. I’ll always regret not having been able to be a mother, but I am thankful I had the opportunity to at least try and that I had access to doctors who weren’t going to stop until they had absolute proof it wouldn’t work. Not every woman has that chance, and after all this time, I can say even in the sadness and darkness infertility brought me, it also gave me light and love.